The Birds (1963)

The Birds is a 1963 American thriller-horror film that Alfred Hitchcock both produced and directed. Along with Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright, the movie also stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, who is making her acting debut. The script was written by Evan Hunter, who was instructed by Hitchcock to include new characters and a more complex storyline while maintaining the title and the idea of mysterious bird assaults from du Maurier.

Alfred Hitchcock's renowned horror film successfully stands as a classic in the genre since it was largely based on Daphne Du Maurier's book of the same name, which was first released in 1952. Hitchcock expertly develops a terrifying tale in which birds, for an unknown purpose, wreak terrible mayhem on the human population. He takes his time with the plot, developing the character relationships while the accompanying events steadily escalate, enhancing the tension.

However, some, including Du Maurier herself, criticize the movie for its flagrant disregard for the source material. It is claimed that Hitchcock gave his screenwriter the order to ignore the storyline and characters of Du Maurier, which resulted in a dramatic change in location from a rugged Cornish coastline with farmhouses on fields to a limpid small town in northern California with snobby city dwellers. However, all versions of the narrative skillfully convey the idea that humanity must always remember that it is at the mercy of nature's unpredictable whims.

Detailed information:

Based on: "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier

Starring: Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren

Release date: March 28, 1963

Link to watch: imdb.com/title/tt0056869/